Dylan lets two former "friends" have it!
While the Whittaker family leaves town, Dylan puts two former "friends" in their place, then he and Alex sell their beloved home. Dylan Harper was sitting in Camilla Griswold's office very distraught. He was waiting for the arraignment of his ex-spouse, Kip Laingsburg and Michael Sanderson, his former boss at a bookstore that he worked at. They had been arrested for fencing some stolen money. Kip had killed his spouse, Troy, to keep him from blabbing the truth to anyone. It was a part of a more evil plot. Molly Wainwright had fenced the money, with her husband Joe's help, to a Captain Frank Damico, from the Point Clair, Illinois police department. His part in this perfidy cost him his job and his pension. It was surreal. Even in death, Molly Wainwright was the toxic gift that kept on giving! Camilla came back to the office. Dylan was still desolate about what had happened. Alex and his mother, Susan, came over from her office. She had heard about what happened. Michael and Shelby, who had been eating a late lunch, had come over as well. "Dyl," Susan said, "are you all right, love?" "I just feel beyond betrayed by those two," Dylan said a look of hurt on his face, "I worked for Michael, and Kip was one of my best friends. Now, I don't think I've ever known either one of them." Alex pulled Dylan close, "Listen to me, sweetheart," he said, the love for his Dylan evident, "They are nothing but a couple of losers. I will be by your side in this all the way. Those two will NOT hurt you. I won't allow it." "We'll be there with you too," Michael Harper said. "Your dad's right, honey," Shelby said, "they won't hurt you." "Hang on, everyone," Camilla said, "the cops are bringing them here." With that, the police brought Kip and Michael into the office. Dylan looked at the two people he thought he knew, but now realized that he didn't, and his expression was very stormy. "You were my best friend," he began at Kip, fury etched on his face, "I loved you, with all my heart! I forgave you when you stepped out on me with Troy; and then I find out that you have lied to everyone who cared about you all this time, by not only hiding stolen money, but being in league with a very diabolical person who has tried to kill me more times than I can ever imagine?! How CAN you do that to me?! You've lied to me, and betrayed me for the LAST time! But you know what? I've moved on! I want you to take a look at this man next to me! This is the man I love with all my heart! His name is Alex Corwin! Alex is the one who came and helped me pick up the pieces of my life, after you and your antics. He was there for me when I was raped and attacked all those times. He was there for me, when it really mattered! When I was raped, where were YOU, my friend? You were too busy living it up on a bunch of stolen money! He LOVES me! My family loves him; his family loves me! And you think that I am going to forgive what you did this time?! You are sadly mistaken! But then again, this betrayal was two pronged in its execution!" Dylan whirled on Michael Sanderson, "You asked me to work for you and I did," he raged, "you begged me for help when Aileen burned the store down in anger. You always were someone I respected; someone I thought I could trust! Well, I feel that I can no longer trust you! You and the person I thought I loved went behind my back and betrayed me in the most diabolical fashion! At least, Aileen has mended her ways, and she has become a better person! You, the person I thought I could trust, as an employer, and as a fellow businessperson, had to stoop to dishonest means and leaguing yourself with a vicious person who wouldn't have thought twice to see me dead! And yet, you wondered why I quit? Well, I realized that something was wrong, and then I was offered a job with my family's corporation, and I jumped at it. But that is neither here or there. There is something that you two will find out now! "Michael, when you rebuilt, you and I had an agreement that I would be half-owner of the store. Thereby, I am going to claim my half of the shop. If you turn over the shop to me, I will see to it that you will not be charged with fraud in this money scheme. However, should you refuse, then I will see to it that those fraud charges stick and you will be in jail for many many years! I want an answer now!" Michael Sanderson was stunned, "That is blackmail!" he sputtered. "Yes," Dylan smiled an icy smile, "isn't it? Now, will you turn over the store, or do I impale you and Kip and have you both sent to prison?" Michael Sanderson looked at him, a look of fear on his face. He and Kip realized that Dylan was as strong as any of his family when something was at stake. If Aileen had ever called him an airhead, at this moment, she would have been wrong in that assertion. For Dylan was as strong as anything; and eventually Aileen realized that, and that made her love him all the more. Sanderson looked at Dylan. He knew when he was licked. "Fine," he said resigned to his fate, "I'll sign over the store to you, lock, stock and barrel." "And as for YOU, Kip," Dylan turned back on his ex, "You two will be sitting in jail for a LONG time! What you both did was beyond despicable. I don't EVER want to see you two, or ever speak to you two EVER again! Officer, get them out of here, if I look at them one minute more, I will be sick!" The officer obliged and the two were taken out of the office, and into jail for a long time. Dylan, finally seeing what liars they had been, sunk on the couch, sobbing in fury. Susan put her arm around her son's spouse. Shelby and Michael looked at their son, feeling terrible for the pain those two had put on him. Aileen Mercier had come in. "What happened to Dylan?" she asked, sensing, as she usually did when something was wrong. "He told off two people he thought he cared about," Alex explained, "his former boss, and Kip, his now ex-best friend and former spouse." Aileen hugged Dylan, "I am sorry, kiddo," she said, "I hope it is better soon." Dylan took his adopted sister's hands in his, "It will be," Dylan said, "because I am selling the bookstore. I don't want it, not after what Michael had done to me; not to mention, Kip. Whatever money I get from it, I am using it for the move to Smythewood, when it's time. This way, Alex, Sheila, and the rest of us can manage for a while. I know I don't necessarily need the money, but it WILL help in a pinch, eh?" Aileen smiled, "That's my Dylan," she said, "always looking forward." "Their betrayal will be a real long time in healing," Dylan said, looking at the people in his life that really mattered, "but I know I can beat it, with the people I really DO love. My family, Alex's family, you, Aileen, and especially, Alex, my heart and soul." Alex took his Dylan in his arms and held him close. Aileen patted her adopted brother on his back. Michael and Shelby came around and hugged them, as did Susan. "You two will always be a couple," Susan whispered. "What she said," Shelby smiled, giving her son a kiss on the top of his head. "You both are going to be together forever," Michael said, "nobody will EVER break you two apart." Camilla, who was watching the scene, agreed. "What you said to them took real bravery," she said. Dylan felt secure. Meanwhile, Megan, Vanessa and Suzanne Harper, Dylan's cousins, were getting ready to move themselves. Megan would be moving with Carlton and his family back to Chicago, where they lived for some years. They had also lived in Philadelphia, before they moved to Harpers Falls. But with Carlton getting a job in a psychiatric practice in Chicago, he, Megan and his family would be going back. Vanessa and Suzanne hadn't thought of their plans as of yet. Suzanne would, more likely than not, go back to Rosehill, and begin work at the Rosehill Register, she had been named as editor. Vanessa had considered going back to Rosehill herself, but she hadn't discussed any ideas with anyone else, except her twin, Megan, whom she talked with about everything. Another option would be that she would move to Orlando, Florida. She had been offered a job as a graphic designer down there. But she had declined the offer. Another offer had been to a place in New York, where she would have free reign; a starting salary that was impressive, and also would have her own studio apartment from which she could live and work in. That was what cinched the choice for her. Vanessa would be moving back to New York. She and Suzanne would be riding in the same truck, since they were going back to New York. Megan, Vanessa and Suzanne were packing their respective trucks, when Dylan and the rest came into the parking lot. "All set are you?" Alex smiled. "Just about," Vanessa said, glancing worriedly at Dylan, "is he all right?" "Yeah, he'll be fine," Aileen said, "seeing the two people he thought he loved and having them betray him was just a mite strong for him." Megan felt terrible for her cousin. She ran over and hugged him tightly. "I'm giving you these numbers," she said, as she scrawled down hers and Carlton's cell phone numbers, "if you need us for anything, no matter what, we'll be there to listen." Vanessa wrote down her number of where she would be in New York, and Suzanne did the same thing. "That goes for us too," Suzanne said, as she hugged Dylan. "Ditto," Vanessa said, and hugged him, "we're family, and that means a lot to us." Carlton's familiy also came out. Stacey, Valerie, Viola, and Evelyn came over too. "Carlton told us to give you our new number in Chicago," Valerie said, speaking for them all, "you are family to us, because of Megan, and we do for family. The door is always welcome for you to visit, Dylan." Stacey, Evelyn, Viola and Valerie all hugged him too. "We have a trip ahead of us," Carlton said, "but we'll call you when we get there." "Great to have known you," Michael said. "Best of luck in Chicago," Shelby said. Dylan and Alex looked at the house that they loved. "Since I got a good price on the bookstore," Dylan said to his family, "what shall we do about the house?" "I don't know if we should sell it," Alex said, "but whatever you decide will be fine with me." "I really think we should sell it," Dylan said, "we can move our stuff over to the mansion, and there IS a guest house that is being vacated by the Reeds. Emily and James are moving back to Boston, and his family is going with them. So that will free up one more guest house." And that was exactly what they did. The house was put on the market, and Dylan's Aunt Marjorie got top value for it. That money would also go to the household fund for when they moved to Smythewood. So, Dylan and Alex moved back to the Harper Estate. They were, like Sheila and Allen, living in one of the guest houses on the estate. (Camera fades to black) Category:Episodes Category:Hall of Fame Episodes Category:Episodes featuring Dylan and Sheila